


Watchful

by Denois



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Canon typical alcohol use, Coming Out, Discussions of Dub Con, Getting Together, M/M, but only at the very end - Freeform, discussion of off screen non con activities, discussions of non con, dub con, enforcer Bully, enforcer Dex, enforcer Whiskey, over protective Dex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 06:34:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denois/pseuds/Denois
Summary: Dex stayed pressed to a wall, eyes scanning the crowd lazily. Louis’s soundcloud made Kegster planning easier, he supposed, but it felt like he was even less likely to recognize a song. He watched idly as his teammates danced, drank, and wheeled. They all seemed to think that kegsters were the best place to wheel. Dex disagreed.





	Watchful

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [Lukutoukka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lukutoukka) and [B_Frizzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/b_frizzy) for beta reading this.
> 
> This is a lot different from my usual tone. It's actually a squick for me, but it got in my head and I had to write it to get it out.
> 
> see end notes for specifics on TW

Dex stayed pressed to a wall, eyes scanning the crowd lazily. Louis’s soundcloud made Kegster planning easier, he supposed, but it felt like he was even less likely to recognize a song. He watched idly as his teammates danced, drank, and wheeled. They all seemed to think that kegsters were the best place to wheel. Dex disagreed.

The idea of getting drunk and then hooking up had never had much appeal to him, but after his very first kegster, he’d stopped drinking at them altogether. He hadn’t even been drunk, barely tipsy, when some guy had pressed him against a wall and shoved his tongue down his throat. 

Dex knew if the team had seen it happen, they’d have thought his anger afterwards was because it was a guy. The truth was that the guy was actually someone he’d been considering hitting on until the incident. He didn’t mind kissing the guy, he just didn’t appreciate not being given the option. 

So Dex didn’t drink at kegsters anymore. He didn’t wheel at kegsters. He didn’t dance at kegsters. He stood by a wall and drank tepid tea that he was pretending was flat beer and glared at anyone that got too close. And he kindly escorted people out of the Haus if they ignored when someone wasn’t consenting. Then he’d escort people back to their dorms or houses if they were too drunk to make it safely. 

Mostly he stood against a wall and drank tepid tea and thought about life, the universe, and everything.

SMH liked to think they were different from other hockey teams. Shitty had yelled at them about getting consent. Everyone had pushed about how all sexualities were accepted. Misogynistic language was shut down immediately. 

But honestly, they still had a lot in common with Dex’s old high school team. Everyone was in each other’s business and they all demanded deets if there was the slightest hint of a hook up. And the consent lectures never seemed to include information about their own right to consent and how to handle that being ignored. 

There’s only so many times you can decide that 42 is actually the correct answer. 

He looked down at his cup and realized that he’s out of tea, which was pretty amazing because it was disgusting. He was really not sure it had ever happened before. He hadn’t set aside more to use for a refill.

He headed to the kitchen to put his cup in a trash bag, like a responsible member of society. He was shocked that his wasn’t the first to find its way to the bin but shook it off and headed back to find a spot to lurk. 

He glanced into the living room as he passed and stopped in his tracks. Nursey was in the middle of the dance floor, as usual and not cause for concern, but the person that he was dancing with was another matter entirely. Dex changed direction abruptly, apologizing as he knocked into someone, he didn’t see who. 

Dex slid between the guy and Nursey, throwing smile at the guy. “Sorry bro. He promised me this dance.”

Nursey’s eyes were wide with surprise and questions as Dex turned and started dancing with him. Dex was willing to admit that he wasn’t great at dancing, but he was pretty sure it would be easier if his partner hadn’t stopped completely. He twisted and bumped his elbow into Nursey’s. 

“Come on, Nurse. You know how to dance. You can’t leave it all to me or this will go terribly.”

“What the fuck, Poindexter. I was wheeling that guy. You can’t just cockblock me, bro. Just because you don’t like me wheeling guys.” Nursey snorted and rolled his eyes at that.

They were pressed close, in part because of the number of people on the dance floor, and in part to hear each other over the music, so Nursey probably missed Dex’s answering eye roll. “Yeah, sorry about that guy. But there are plenty of other guys here. Wheel one of them instead.” 

Nursey pulled back slightly and gave him an appraising look, but finally started moving to the beat again and Dex breathed a sigh of relief.

He finished the song and then pushed an attractive guy that he knew was decent and into guys in front of Nursey and made his escape back to the quiet wall that he’d been holding up. 

The calm lasted for about thirty minutes until he caught sight of the guy he’d blocked from Nursey earlier and headed into the hall to see what he was doing.

The guy had Tango pressed up against the wall, hands on Tango’s hips even as Tango pressed his hands against the guy’s shoulders, applying pressure to keep him at arm's length. Tango met Dex's eyes over the guy's shoulder and nodded almost imperceptibly. 

“Why are we over here? I thought you wanted to talk? Hey, what are you doing?” 

Dex clapped his hand on the guy’s shoulder and spun him around. “Hey buddy. Looks like you need some lessons in consent. You’re no longer welcome in this Haus. Let me show you the way out.”

The guy tried to shrug off Dex’s hand, but Dex held firm. “What is your problem, man? You just can’t let any of your friends have fun? You can’t be their mom forever you know.” He sneered as he spoke.

Dex tightened his grip. “I said you’re not welcome around the Samwell Men’s Hockey Team or any of our parties. Let’s go.” 

Dex felt a presence behind him and knew that the reason the guy suddenly decided to be compliant was not only because of rightful fear of what Dex would do, which honestly should have been enough. He pulled the guy fully away from Tango and marched him to the door with Whiskey and Bully flanking as back up. 

Once they were sure he had left and wasn’t coming back, they returned to the party, splitting up to make sure key people knew to blacklist him. 

Whiskey left him with a nod of acknowledgement and then escorted Tango back to the dorms. 

Dex cracked his neck idly while doing another circuit of the Haus before deciding the kegster was winding down and headed up to his room. He entered cautiously. So far, Nursey hadn’t brought anyone upstairs to their room, but there was a first time for everything.

The room was thankfully empty so he went in and started getting ready for bed. He’d just finished brushing his teeth and washing his face when Nursey stepped into the room. Dex glanced at him and started heading towards the bunks, but then Nursey blocked his path.

“What was that about tonight, Poindexter?”

Dex narrowed his eyes and stared at Nursey. “Usually, you’re a lot less coherent by this time of night.”

“Being cockblocked by my best friend showing some homophobic tendencies kinda took the fun out of drinking.” 

Dex rolled his eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t care if you wheel dudes.” 

“Well, when you shoved your ass between me and the dude I was wheeling, you kind of undermined that argument.”

Dex took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “You were not wheeling Bryce. He was preying on you. He’s a predator. It’s what he does. He goes after guys too drunk to resist. And even if you think you’re still able to consent, it doesn’t matter, because regardless of what you consent to, he does what he wants. Usually, topping without protection.” 

Dex realized that his hands were clenched and his nails were digging into his palms, so he took a second to uncurl them and spread them against his thighs.

“And you know this…? How?” 

Dex sighed again and went over to his desk chair to sink down. “It’s come up.”

“Where? From whom?” 

“First rule of survivors club, you don’t out people from survivors club.” Dex gave a humorless laugh.

“Survivor club? Wait, did he-? Were you-?” Nursey’s eyes looked confused but there was anger starting to form as well.

“No. I don’t have personal experience with him. I know a number of guys though. Guys I trust. Even some of my exes warned me about him.” Dex looked at his hands, the crescents from his nails still visible in his palms. “I have a hard enough time not bashing his head in knowing what he’s done. If he did it to you?” Dex sighed again. “Not actually looking forward to going to prison.”

“I don’t need you to save me, white boy.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I know you can take care of yourself. I just. I couldn’t sit idly by. I had to at least try to redirect you. And then he refocused on Tango.” Dex ran his hands through his hair. “It’s not that I don’t have faith in your ability to take care of yourself. I just, I don’t have it in me to sit back when my friends might be in danger.”

Dex glanced over at Nursey to see him slouched against the beds. “Whatever, I guess. Dude definitely showed some issues with respecting consent with Tango, and you did dance with me, so I guess I can let this one go. But you don’t get to make decisions for me, bro.”

“Yeah, ok. Sure. But, if we’re done here, I’m gonna go to bed, so….” Dex raised his eyebrows at Nursey. Nursey nodded in response and rolled himself into bed, kicking off his shoes as he went. Dex pushed himself out of the chair and groaned. “You’re gonna be pissed at yourself in the morning when you wake up sore from wearing your jeans to bed.” But he flicked the lights out and climbed into his own bed without waiting for a response. 

A few minutes later there was a thump as Nursey’s jeans were thrown onto the floor. 

Dex had almost drifted off to sleep when Nursey’s voice cut through the dark. “Wait, did you say some of your exes are guys?”

“No. I said some of my exes were his victims. All of my exes are guys. I’m trying to sleep, Nurse.”

“But you’re straight.”

“Oh my god.”

“Hey, Dex?”

Dex groaned into his pillow. “What, Nurse?”

“If you’re not straight, do you want to go out to dinner tomorrow, maybe? With me.”

Dex felt his breath hitch and for a moment he felt like he was falling. “Uh. Yeah. That, that would be great.”

“Chill.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Nope. No take backs. Goodnight, Will.”

“Goodnight, Derek.” Dex rolled over and smiled into the dark.

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me on Tumblr at [SexyDexyNurse](https://sexydexynurse.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Dub con-  
> OMC ignores Tango's protests and presses against him, trying to kiss him before being pulled away.
> 
> Discussions of non con/dub con-  
> Dex describes past actions of an OMC that involve ignoring boundaries and specifics of consent, including unprotected anal sex.
> 
> Insinuation but no discussion that Dex is a survivor of sexual assault.
> 
>  
> 
> A few notes:
> 
> Survivor club here is a support group for male victims of sexual assault. They meet separately from the women because some of the women are still dealing with a lot of issues with triggers of being around large men like the athletes. 
> 
> Tango purposefully damselled himself. When he knows that there's someone at the kegsters that the others want to kick out but feel like they need an obvious reason to do so, he will step in and then no one can claim the person didn't need to be thrown out.
> 
> Whiskey and Bully are not members of survivors club, but, like most people, they know someone that's a survivor and are very supportive of keeping SMH kegsters safe places with strict consent regulations.
> 
> In this au, Dex was confused about the 1 in 4 figure because he didn't immediately track it to LGBT+ population.   
> Sexual assault and sexual violence is really common on college campuses.   
> RAINN 800.656.HOPE (4673)


End file.
